Ancient Mariners: Did Neanderthals Sail to Mediterranean?

by 5ocietyx

Interesting article suggesting ‘human’ remains found on distant islands may have been a result of paleolithic hominid exploration.

‘Recently, research has hinted that seafarers may have made their way out to the Mediterranean islands even earlier, long before the Neolithic, and not only to isles close to the mainland, but to more distant ones as well, such as Crete.

For instance, stone artifacts on the southern Ionian Islands hint at human sites there as early as 110,000 years ago. Investigators have also recovered quartz hand-axes, three-sided picks and stone cleavers from Crete that may date back about 170,000 years ago. The distance of Crete about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the mainland would have made such a sea voyage no small feat.

The exceedingly old age of these artifacts suggests the seafarers who made them might not even been modern humans, who originated between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago. Instead, they might have been Neanderthals or perhaps even Homo erectus…

… Although the idea that extinct human lineages possessed such advanced mental capabilities might be controversial, ancient seafaring has been seen elsewhere in the world. For instance, Australia was colonized at least 50,000 years ago, while fossils in Indonesia suggest that an extinct lineage of humans was seafaring as long ago as 1.1 million years.

“If the ancient finds in the Mediterranean can be verified, they will show that Homo erectus or Neanderthals or both had the skills and cognitive ability to build boats and navigate them,” Simmons said.’

2 Comments to “Ancient Mariners: Did Neanderthals Sail to Mediterranean?”

Neandertals (or other archaic Homo such as erectus or heidelbergensis or so) not necessarily sailed or rafted to Crete etc. According to their anatomy they were excellent swimmers, much better than we, and if sapiens can cross the Channel (>32 km) there’s no reason why not neandertals.
Homo populations during the Ice Ages (with sea-levels often 100 m lower than today) apparently followed the coasts & rivers in Africa & Eurasia (800,000 years ago, they even reached the island of Flores >18 km overseas).
For more info & refs, please google “econiche Homo” or “greg laden gest post marc verhaegen” or so.
–marc verhaegen

Thanks so much for your comment Marc. this topic has fascinated us for some years now and new information and ideas are being put forward all the time. we will certainly look into what you have said, the main fact we are trying to emphasise is that Neanderthals were far from the brutes they have been portrayed as. X